Cairo Metro Line 2 is the second line of the
Cairo Metro
The Cairo Metro ( ar, مترو أنفاق القاهرة, Metro Anfāq al-Qāhirah, lit. "Cairo Tunnel Metro" or ) is the rapid transit system in Greater Cairo, Egypt. It was the first of the three full-fledged metro systems in Africa a ...
in
Cairo, Egypt
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
.
History
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
's metro network was greatly expanded in the mid-1990s with the building of Line 2 (red), from Shoubra-El-Kheima to
Cairo University
Cairo University ( ar, جامعة القاهرة, Jāmi‘a al-Qāhira), also known as the Egyptian University from 1908 to 1940, and King Fuad I University and Fu'ād al-Awwal University from 1940 to 1952, is Egypt's premier public university ...
, with an extension to
Giza
Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah'' arz, الجيزة ' ) is the second-largest city in Egypt after Cairo and fourth-largest city in Africa after Kinshasa, Lagos and Cairo. It is the capital of Giza Governorate with a total population of 9.2 ...
.
It is the first line in history to have a tunnel going under the
Nile
The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin language, Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered ...
.
The tunnel under the Nile is in internal diameter and was constructed using two Herenknecht bentonite slurry shield
TBMs, which are in diameter.
Extending with 20 stations, it is sometimes called the "Japanese-Built Line". It is mostly in bored tunnel, with two exceptions: a short section at the northern end approaching Shubra El-Kheima which is elevated, and a section just south of this by cut-and-cover. The main difference between Lines 1 and 2 is that Line 1 uses an
overhead line
An overhead line or overhead wire is an electrical cable that is used to transmit electrical energy to electric locomotives, trolleybuses or trams. It is known variously as:
* Overhead catenary
* Overhead contact system (OCS)
* Overhead equipmen ...
while Line 2 uses the
third-rail
A third rail, also known as a live rail, electric rail or conductor rail, is a method of providing electric power to a railway locomotive or train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway ...
system. The construction of the line was finished in October 2000 and was later extended to El Mounib.
The communication for line 2 was provided by Alcatel in 2005.
Total project cost was 761 million euros.
After the
2011 Egyptian revolution
The 2011 Egyptian revolution, also known as the 25 January revolution ( ar, ثورة ٢٥ يناير; ), began on 25 January 2011 and spread across Egypt. The date was set by various youth groups to coincide with the annual Egyptian "Police ho ...
, the station "Mubarak" has been renamed and is now called "Al-Shohadaa" (Arabic for "martyrs").
* October 1996 Shobra - Mubarak (now:"Al-Shohadaa"),
* Sept 1998: Mubarak (now:"Al-Shohadaa") - Sadat,
* April 19, 1999: Sadat - Cairo University, (including crossing of the Nile)
* October 8, 2000: Cairo University - Giza Suburban
* January 17, 2005: Omm el Misryeen - Monib
Connections
To other Metro lines
Line 2 connects to
Line 1 at Shohadaa and Sadat Stations, and with
Line 3 at Attaba Station.
To other forms of transit
Shohadaa Station is immediately next to
Ramses Station
Ramses Railway Station ( ar, محطة رمسيس, Maḥaṭṭat Ramsīs), also called Misr Station ( ar, محطة مصر, Maḥaṭṭat Miṣr), is the main railway station of Cairo, Egypt. The name is derived from the Ancient Egyptian Pharao ...
, providing access to
Egyptian National Railways
Egyptian National Railways (ENR; ar, السكك الحديدية المصرية, Al-Sikak al-Ḥadīdiyyah al-Miṣriyyah) is the national railway of Egypt and managed by the parastatal Egyptian Railway Authority (ERA; ar, الهيئة الق ...
long-haul and short-haul domestic passenger service.
Cairo Transport Authority buses and private
microbus
A minibus, microbus, minicoach, or commuter (in Zimbabwe) is a passenger-carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, th ...
services are also nearby.
Access to
Cairo International Airport
Cairo International Airport (; ''Maṭār El Qāhira El Dawly'') is the principal international airport of Cairo and the largest and busiest airport in Egypt. It serves as the primary hub for Egyptair and Nile Air as well as several other ...
is expected via transfer to Line 3 upon completion of Phase 4 in early 2020.
[https://www.masrawy.com/news/news_egypt/details/2019/7/24/1606695/النقل-تعلن-موعد-انتهاء-محطات-المرحلة-الرابعة-بالخط-الثالث-للمترو]
See also
*
List of Cairo Metro stations
References
{{Cairo Metro
Cairo Metro
Railway lines opened in 1996